Chapter 234 The Second Master sat at the entrance of the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.

In the past, Zhou Zhining's cries were like a gentle spring rain to Zhan Xingzhuo. Whenever she cried, his temper would subside, and he would stop being angry and only think about how to make her happy.

Now, Zhou Zhining's crying only added fuel to the fire.

The man got out of bed, drank a cup of cold tea, and his sobbing, intermittent and faint, sounded like the wailing of a ghost.

The maid who was keeping watch by the door tried to comfort him, saying things like be careful not to cry and hurt yourself, and that they should wait for the second master to calm down.

With a bang, the man slammed the teacup on the table and forcefully pulled open the door.

Zhou Zhining sobbed, her large, red, watery eyes looking at him pitifully: "Brother Xingzhuo..."

Her voice was hoarse from crying as she clutched Zhan Xingzhuo's sleeve: "You're awake. Are you hungry? I made you some porridge... Zhiyun, quickly bring the porridge."

She hurriedly turned around, picked up the bowl of porridge from the tray in Zhiyun's hands, touched it briefly, let out a sob, and said in a choked voice, "Oh dear, the porridge is cold, I'll go heat it up for you right away."

She turned around with the bowl in her hand, looking anxious and preoccupied with thoughts of him.

Zhan Xingzhuo coldly observed, "No need."

He strode off, completely ignoring the gesture.

Seeing that he was about to go out, Zhou Zhining picked up her bowl and followed him. He had long legs and big strides, so she jogged behind him: "Brother Xingzhuo, it's so late. You've only been back at the manor for less than two hours and you're going out again... Don't go out. You have to go to the morning court tomorrow."

She ran in front of Zhan Xingzhuo, blocking his way, her eyes filled with tears, and stubbornly tried to persuade him.

Zhan Xingzhuo looked at the woman in front of him with a deep gaze, her face swollen from crying. Even so, she was still beautiful, like a peony after being drenched by wind and rain. If he didn't wipe away her tears quickly, she would wither away.

But this time he won't be soft-hearted.

They said it was for his own good, but they were just afraid that he wouldn't be in good condition during the morning court session, which would anger the emperor and affect his future, making it difficult for Grand Tutor Zhou to return to the capital.

Thinking of this, the man clenched his fingers and said in a deep voice, "Get out of the way!"

Zhou Zhining bit her lip, shook her head, and tears rolled down her cheeks again.

She suddenly knelt down.

The two maids, Zhiyun and Zhiyue, were startled: "Miss!"

They stepped forward to help Zhou Zhining up, but Zhou Zhining shook her head, holding the bowl of porridge in both hands, looking at him with teary eyes.

“Brother Xingzhuo, I know you are angry with me, and it is right that you are angry. I was wrong… However, I was not blinded by those gold and silver treasures… You went to Luozhou, which is thousands of miles away from the capital. I know you are suffering because of me. For this reason, I should kneel down and thank you for your kindness.”

"But in Luozhou, you still have Miss Hongying by your side, massaging your shoulders and legs when you are tired, and adding fragrance to your writing."

"As for me, although I am in the capital, and although I have your entrustment and they take care of me, I am a government slave. I am worried and afraid all the time. I am afraid that the political enemies that the Zhou family has offended will bully me, that the people will kill me with their personal grudges, that I am afraid of the Grand Princess, and that I am afraid of Yao Qingling... Each of them is stronger than me and can crush me like an ant."

“I live in constant fear, afraid that Prince Xin and the others are just going through the motions and don’t truly want to protect me…”

“Brother Xingzhuo, they are not like you, who sincerely sheltered me from the wind and rain without asking for anything in return. They are just afraid of that list... I am even afraid that they will kill me.”

"Under these circumstances, I had no choice but to feign affection in order to protect myself... When I was with Tao Weixian, I didn't allow him to do anything inappropriate to me. Brother Xingzhuo, you have to believe me, I didn't... I didn't do anything with him..."

Zhou Zhining cried with tears streaming down her face, as if Zhan Xingzhuo was the one who had bullied her.

Zhan Xingzhuo couldn't understand her predicament at the time; she had no choice but to do everything.

Zhan Xingzhuo looked at her coldly.

This was the second time Zhou Zhining had knelt before him.

The first time was when the Zhou family was in trouble. She knelt down and begged him to put in a good word for her, asking the Emperor to calm down and for him to find a way to save the Zhou family.

Zhan Xingzhu pleaded with the Emperor for her, but in return, she was not promoted for several years and was kept in the Ministry of Personnel. Despite her talent, she was looked down upon by her elder brother.

And now, she kneels before him again, for the mistakes she has made.

Zhan Xingzhuo should have a soft heart. She was the woman he loved most. When he was abandoned by his parents in the fiefdom of the old Xiao King and was all alone, only Zhou Zhining accompanied him and even made him become a disciple of Grand Tutor Zhou.

That was a ray of light during his most difficult years.

Even his title of third-place scholar was earned through years of companionship and hard work.

He swore he would never let him down.

The man clenched his fists again and again, wavering between forgiveness and non-forgiveness, his eyes red.

"Brother Xingzhuo, you're the only one in my heart..."

But these words, spoken through tears, felt like a thorn stuck in her heart, which she had personally pried open.

She reminded him that when he wasn't around, she was being intimate with another man.

If Wang Xuan was someone she had no choice but to do to save her life, then Tao Weixian was not; he wasn't stupid.

The man's knuckles cracked as he pinched them.

Zhiyun and Zhiyue thought Zhan Xingzhuo was wavering, so they quickly added, "Second Master, Miss's heart truly belongs only to you. We two servants have seen it all. Apart from touching hands, there is nothing else between Miss and Young Master Tao."

“These days, Miss is so upset that she won’t eat or sleep well. She wakes up crying and regrets leaving the Ministry of Agriculture.”

"She always said that if she had known this day would come, she would have preferred to wash chamber pots at the Ministry of Agriculture... Second Master, Miss truly regrets it..."

"Look at the burns on her hands... they were all from cooking porridge and soup for you. Isn't this punishment enough?"

The maid lifted Zhou Zhining's sleeve, letting the man see the injury on her finger.

In the dim light of the lanterns, several dark marks on those delicate hands appeared blurry, yet undeniably real.

Zhan Xingzhuo's gaze shifted from the swollen blister to Zhou Zhining's face.

He had never let Zhou Zhining get hurt before; even a small scratch would make him feel heartbroken for a long time. But now, for her sake, his hands were blistered.

The man's throat bobbed, and Zhou Zhining, seizing the opportune moment, hesitantly called out, "Brother Xingzhuo..."

The man took a deep breath, but pushed Zhou Zhining away and strode out.

No, he can't forgive, at least not so quickly.

If she doesn't understand the consequences of betraying him, Zhou Zhining won't truly realize her mistake.

He was too biased towards her, which made her feel that no matter what, he was always protecting her and always regarded her as his life.

However, he had already realized that Zhou Zhining was not as weak as he had always thought.

Her weakness was merely a weapon.

But because of this, he hurt Yao Qingling's feelings and made her take the child away from him.

If he hadn't been so biased towards Zhou Zhining back then, would she have been less resolute? Would she have hated him so much?

Ironically, he always used Yao Qingling as a cover-up between him and Zhou Zhining, a tool, while he himself, in Zhou Zhining's eyes, was also just a tool.

Having nowhere to go after leaving the new mansion, Zhan Xingzhu wandered the streets late at night and unknowingly arrived at the gate of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion.

He looked up at the lanterns hanging from the eaves, motionless.

Minglu strode forward, intending to wake the gatekeeper and have him open the door for Master Zhan.

Zhan Xingzhuo called out to him, "Don't knock."

He knew that Yao Qingling wouldn't answer him even if he knocked on the door.

The man sat down on the steps at the entrance of the Marquis's residence.

It was freezing cold, and the icy stone bricks were covered with a layer of frost.

Minglu stepped forward to help him up: "Second Master, don't sit here, you'll get sick."

Zhan Xingzhu ignored him and remained seated. Minglu had no choice but to find a tattered burlap sack for him to sit on.

Meanwhile, the servants Zhou Zhining sent out followed Zhan Xingzhuo all the way and then returned to tell Zhou Zhining: "Second Master is sitting at the gate of the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence."